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Friday, December 13, 2013

Thanksgiving

Sorry for the lack of posts since I returned to Malawi!

Thanksgiving was a big deal at Maji Zuwa this year. We were lucky enough to have the US Ambassador to Malawi as a guest for the afternoon, as well as her husband who is a retired US Ambassador.

Also in attendance were some local peace corps volunteers, latitude volunteers staying at Maji Zuwa, an Argentinian who happened to be traveling through, a couple from Karonga working with the Paladin Mine, and Matt.

It was a long day of baking and cooking and by the end of it I was covered in flour and sweat but it was well worth it. We had a great lunch and I'm thankful for all the help in the kitchen! I also had a lot of help from my mom. She e-mailed me some recipes to work with and helped to find substitutions as needed.

What was I thankful for? The fact that the electricity stayed on the entire time I was cooking with the toaster oven!

Here's some pics!



Sunday, October 6, 2013

Eating Like Queens

We have been eating really well lately. Our neighbor Aaron gave us all of his leftover American food from care packages when he left for the states and we have been putting it to good use. 

Carly wrote a post this week about her top 5 foods that we make. You can read it at www.carlymalawi.blogspot.com

For each meal we typically take one thing we've gotten from care packages and mix it with a traditional Malawian ingredient. On my wish list page (link at the top of the page) you can see a list of ideas for care packages.


Our friend Nick, a peace corps volunteer near us, visited Khwawa this week and shared a block of velveeta. We made the best macaroni and cheese ever! To add some protein to our meal, we sautéed some soya pieces with garlic, Parmesan cheese, and some other spices from our bin. Needless to say, I had a great nap afterwards. 

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Waking Up

It's been a seven days since I landed in Lilongwe and my five weeks in America seem like a dream.

Saying goodbye at the airport wasn't any easier but this time a little less dramatic. dryer eyes, shorter hugs. We're old pros by now! I encountered zero problems traveling from Dayton to Lilongwe. In the capital I was greeted by Carly, who escorted me back to Khwawa. We made it to our house on Sunday morning and I was thankful to be able to sleep in my own bed that night. Jet lag has been tough and I think I'm just now getting over it; glad that I have a week-long  buffer before school begins.

I've had a week to think back about all the things I was able to do during my visit home and I am overwhelmed with gratitude to those who made these events happen. I went on vacation with my family, visited friends in Kent (and Seven Hills!), was invited to speak at my church, welcomed guests for a backyard party, and participated in the baptism of my niece/goddaughter. I played golf and went to the aquarium. I'm still amazed at the amount of people I was able to visit with and the things I was able to do.

Thank you to those who took me out to a meal, made me food, donated funds to help me throughout the next year, or pledged to send a package. The support I received during my time home heart-warming and will stay with me for months to come.

I've woken up and it's back to reality. Building fires and tucking in bed nets. I'm back.

Sunday, June 2, 2013

This Was PROBABLY A Lot Of Fun

Over the last few weeks I've been scrambling to cover last minute material before my form 2 students take their national exam, the JCE. This is a pass/fail exam that must be passed in order to continue in secondary school.

A few weeks ago I planned to teach a unit on probability. My school lacks a lot of materials when it comes to mathematics. And when I say that we lack a lot of materials I mean that we have none. Typically I would teach this lesson with dice, counters, or blocks of some sort. Instead, I passed out baggies filled with candy I bought at the trading centre and the kids went wild! They had fun being split into groups learning about theoretical vs. experimental probability.











Saturday, June 1, 2013

Home Sweet Home

Sorry for not posting in the last few months!

There has been no Internet in my area for the last three weeks but I've just come to Mzuzu to get some wi-fi. To take advantage of the Internet I thought I'd post some pictures of my house in Khwawa.

This is pretty much everything we own. Our beloved shelf.

Our dining room table. So much rice has been eaten here.

The shower! And by shower, I mean a bucket and a big plastic cup.

Our bedroom. The nets are a little annoying but I've gotten used to it. In fact, it helps me sleep a little easier knowing critters aren't crawling all over me.

The sink! Water is life.

Friday, March 8, 2013

International Women's Day in Malawi


Today is International Women’s Day and let me tell you; it was a day to remember.

I started the day off meeting Sharon, The country director for Latitude New Zealand. She is in Malawi visiting the volunteers she sent for a Gap year. She’s been in Malawi about a week and has been more places in Malawi than me! It has been a whirlwind trip for her and she’s just got about 6 days left. Meeting her was great; I’m really interested in what she does, getting young people prepared to travel and live a bit abroad. As a teacher, I’m looking forward to having an opportunity very similar, of offering opportunities for students to travel and experience different cultures. My time as a travelling as a middle and high school student were instrumental in getting me to where I am today.

I met up with Sharon because she was traveling with Matt to Kaseye Girl’s Secondary School, a National Boarding School and one of the top schools in the nation. I heard about the trip and was excited to tag along. Matt and Sharon’s purpose was to visit the two Latitude volunteers, but I was more interested to witness all the great things I've heard about this particular school. I was also excited to see one of the girls sponsored by Matt’s NGO. Alinafe, a girl from Sangilo Village, was raised by her very old grandmother and against all odds was selected to such a prestigious school. Without the help of Determined to Develop and Maji Zuwa, Alinafe would never have been able to afford attending such a high-ranking school. Kaseye Girls was a sight. The Head Teacher of the school, Mr. Mtombo, was so incredibly welcoming, and gave us a tour of their ever-improving campus. I've never seen so much construction and motion happening at such a fast pace in Malawi. It was refreshing to see such an up-beat and positive attitude all over the campus. The two volunteers placed at this school at first were a little disappointed with their placement; disappointed that they weren't getting the more traditional experience without the amenities that come along with living at such a nice school. One of the female teachers at their school explained that the two volunteers were doing more for those girls than meets the eye. Just the fact that they are there setting a great example for the girl students was help enough. A lot of the girls may not have a female role model in their family who has pursued an education, or maybe not even a female role model at all. The girls at this school are going somewhere. Almost 30 of the total 300 students (male and female) in Malawi considered for University last year came from this school. The girls they are mentoring and teaching are going to be the women running the country within our lifetime. Visiting Kaseye was a great motivator for getting my Girl’s Club to become more stable and sustainable. I’m excited to brainstorm more over the term holiday that starts after the next two weeks of exams and to return in April full force.

On our way home from Kaseye, we stopped in Karonga town for Matt to get some building supplies for Maji Zuwa. While Matt was doing boring business things, I took Sharon into the market to have a look around. As Sharon was buying a soda from a shop inside, a lady from the next stall over and I exchanged greetings. As we were talking I noticed that she was wearing a beautiful ivory bracelet. It caught my eye because I had seen only one before; two and a half years ago, when I first visited Malawi. I asked her about the bracelet and told her about how I had met a woman who wore a very similar bracelet. The woman told me that the bracelet, traditionally, was a sign of royalty and had been passed to her from her father when she succeeded him as chief of her village. That’s right, a female chief! How awesome is that!? What’s even better, we both realized that she was the woman who spoke to me about women in Malawi in 2010. Here I am, standing in a random spot in the middle of the busy Karonga market, and I come across such an incredible example of a strong woman in Malawi, who also happens to be the women I spoke to in 2010. It was a “pinch me” moment if I ever had one! 

2010

2013
I've had so many great female role models in my life. My mother, other women who are also practically my mother, grandmothers, teachers, preachers and friends are all women who I hold very near and dear to my heart. So here's to all the women in my life; I love you, miss you, and wouldn't be here without you. 

Sunday, February 24, 2013

I Hope You're Sitting Down

I've got a big announcement for all of you!

I have decided to stay in Malawi a little longer than previously planned. And by a little longer I mean an entire year longer. Khwawa will be my home until August of 2014.

The Malawian secondary school curriculum is set into two halves, each half taking two years. By staying another year, I'm able to take my Form 1 class through their Junior Certificate Exam (JCE). The JCE is the pass/fail exam all students take at the end of their second year. If passed, students move on, if not passed, students either stop going to school or return and redo form 2 at an open or night school. I will also be able to take my Form 3 class through to their Malawi School Certificate Exam (MSCE). The MSCE is scored like golf, the lower the score the better you did on the exam. This score stays with a person their entire career and determines if they can be considered for university for a certificate or degree program. It also determines what kind of job they can get. I'm really excited about this opportunity and I'm interested to be able to see the passing rates of the math section over the next year and a half.

It wasn't easy to make this decision and I went back and forth several times. I miss my family every single day and I'm anxious to be doing the things my peers are doing, like getting big person jobs and starting their careers. It's important that I stay focused on what I'm doing and how this experience is improving my chance at greater things in the future. With that being said, I obviously don't hate it here. I love being in Malawi. It's not all sunshine and rainbows but the good outweighs the bad and that's all I really want. I love walking back from the form 1 classroom and being able to see the lake and Chitimba Point in the background of the school. I hate riding on minibuses but the view is always amazing. I have met a lot of really great people here, Malawians and expats alike, who make it a lot easier to be so far from home.  Life is good.

I'm also incredibly thankful to also be announcing that I will be coming home for a visit at the end of the summer. I will be in America for about a month from July 27th to August 29th. I'm hoping to hit the ground running to be able to see everyone at home and hopefully even a trip to Kent.

Can't wait to see you all! Keep coming back for more updates. I have a few posts in the works and I hope to have those up soon!.

Sunday, February 10, 2013

In which I have a freak out about Grad School.

I'm a planner. I have been and always will be.

I came to Malawi with a definite plan for my future but the longer I'm here the more it's changing and it's been driving me nuts! My plan for life after Malawi was simple and involved getting a teaching position when I returned....and that's about it. Come back to America. Teach math. Be happy. Sounds good, right? I think so too. 

But now that I'm here my eyes are starting to open to a few different paths. Every time I'm able to have internet and electricity for a long amount of time I end up researching different grad programs at outrageously fancy schools to which I'm sure I'll never be accepted. I even think I might have to take the GRE! Boo! I lay awake at night thinking about where I want to live, where I want to go to school, and what I want to study. Of course the things at the top of my list to study are Math Education and possibly Curriculum and Leadership  but I'm also looking at a few programs designed for International Education Development. There are a few grad students coming to my area of Malawi this summer to do some work from Teacher's College at Columbia and I'm very excited to pick their brains about their program and life at TC. Do I really see myself living in Manhattan? Or maybe DC while attending American University? I just don't know! 

And maybe instead of grad school applying for the Math for America fellows program? 

So many options. So many questions. Too much to think about!

Oh well, at least I live in the most beautiful place on the planet. I can hear the waves from the lake at night as I'm going to sleep. I work with great people. Life is good.


PS: If anyone has GRE prep material, can you send it this way?





Tuesday, January 29, 2013

6 Month Update

Friday will mark my 6 month Malawi-versary!

I honestly can't believe I've been here for 6 months. It's been an incredible journey and I can't wait to see how the rest of my time here plays out. Currently I'm in the 4th week of our second term. I'm teaching 3 math classes and starting to get Girl's Club up and running full-time. I've been very happy with my classes this term; it's nice to not have so many things to which I have to adjust. I was able to start off knowing what to expect.

At the beginning of January I said goodbye to Sami as she headed back to Ohio to look for a big girl job! The day before Sami left, we welcomed Carly to Malawi as she began her 1 year adventure of being a teacher at Khwawa with me. She's my new roommate and fellow teacher and I'm very excited to have her here! I met Carly in 2006 at the SW Ohio HOBY seminar, where she was my group leader. HOBY is also where I first met Matt in 2008. I guess you could say that Hugh O'Brien played a big part in getting me to Malawi!

I want to give a big shout-out to all of those people who have sent me care packages! They have kept me going more than you think! The letters, candy, movies, pictures, and battery-operated lights/fans make my world go round. I have appreciated them all and it's a highlight of my week if I get a text message from my post-master letting me know I have a package! A lot of people have asked me for ideas of things to add to packages so I made a new tab at the top of the page titled "wish list."

ALSO: Determined to Develop and Maji Zuwa are still looking for people to help sponsor some of our kids. Your sponsorship would cover school fees, medical care, food, clothing, and transport. Let me know if you are interested and we can get you matched with a student! It's a low monthly payment that can be automatically drawn from your bank account. All of the money donated is given directly to the NGO, no fees for processing! I know and see almost all of these kids on a weekly basis. I see first-hand how your donation is being used, some of the kids are even my students!